Cocking and loading apparatus for repeater air rifle

ABSTRACT

A cocking and loading system for an air rifle utilizes a movable compression cylinder linked to the cocking arm to urge a piston into a cocked position, wherein the compression cylinder returns to a rest position urging a pellet feed tube through a magazine to load a pellet into the barrel.

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the reproduction of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and hereby claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/291,116 filed on Mar. 6, 2019 entitled “COCKING AND LOADING APPARATUS FOR REPEATER MR RIFLE” which is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/899,468 filed on Feb. 20, 2018 entitled “COCKING AND LOADING APPARATUS FOR REPEATER MR RIFLE” which is a continuation in part of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/825,560 filed on Nov. 28, 2017 entitled “COCKING AND LOADING APPARATUS FOR REPEATER MR RIFLE” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/428,477 filed Nov. 30, 2016 entitled “COCKING AND LOADING APPARATUS FOR REPEATER MR RIFLE.”

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING OR COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to air rifles and more particularly to the charging system for an air rifle. In greater particularity the present invention relates to the combination of the charging mechanism with a magazine for a repeating air rifle.

Modern technology has utilized cocking mechanisms for air rifles wherein a lever mounted to the rifle moves a piston against a spring such that a volume of air is drawn into an associated cylinder and rapidly released by the spring forcing a piston within the cylinder to return. The nature of the spring is variable and maybe a coil spring, a gas spring, an air strut, or any other variation used to bias the piston in position to compress the volume of air necessary to fire the projectile. Depending on the type projectile fired by the air rifle, the projectile may be introduced one at a time into the breach of an air rifle that opens to receive the projectile while compressing the spring or by a feeder magazine.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the present invention provide a movable compression cylinder for an air rifle. The compression cylinder has a probe or feed tube extending forward therefrom. The compression cylinder is configured to receive a piston of the air rifle and provide compressed air to a chamber of the air rifle and a projectile (e.g. pellet) within the chamber.

In one aspect, a movable compression cylinder for an air rifle includes a cylinder body and a pellet feed tube. The cylinder body is configured to be received within cylinder housing of the air rifle when the air rifle is assembled. The pellet feed tube extends forward from the cylinder body to where the muzzle of the air rifle when the air rifle is assembled.

In another aspect, and air rifle includes a movable compression cylinder. The movable compression cylinder includes a cylinder body and a pellet feed tube. The cylinder body is configured to be received within cylinder housing of the air rifle when the air rifle is assembled. The pellet feed tube extends forward from the cylinder body to where the muzzle of the air rifle when the air rifle is assembled.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings which are appended hereto and which form a portion of this disclosure, it may be seen that:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the rifle;

FIG. 2 is perspective view of the sheathed barrel;

FIG. 3 is a sectional perspective view of the rifle.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the barrel end and cocking lever retention ball;

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view showing a first embodiment of charging chamber of the rifle;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the cocking lever moved to position to insert a magazine;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the further movement of the cocking lever in the first embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing movement of the cocking lever, cylinder and piston;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing movement of the cylinder and piston to a piston locking position;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing the cylinder of the first embodiment returning to engage the feed nozzle;

FIG. 11 is sectional view showing the cylinder and feed nozzle seated in the ready position with a projectile in the barrel;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing the piston released to launch the projectile;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view depicting rotation of the rotary magazine;

FIG. 14 is a detail view of the rotary magazine;

FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the rifle showing the feed nozzle retracted to allow removal of the magazine; and

FIG. 16 is a sectional view showing the rifle with the magazine removed and ready for storage.

FIG. 17 is a partial section elevation view of a second embodiment of the cylinder and feed nozzle retracted to an open magazine position; and

FIG. 18 is a partial section view of the second embodiment showing the unitary cylinder and feed nozzle in the forward position aligned with the barrel.

FIG. 19 is a partial section view of the third embodiment showing the unitary cylinder and feed nozzle in the forward position aligned with the barrel;

FIG. 20 is a second partial section view of the third embodiment;

FIG. 21 is a detailed view of the third embodiment; and,

FIG. 22 is a sectional view showing the third embodiment.

Reference will now be made in detail to optional embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawing and in the description referring to the same or like parts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of the invention.

To facilitate the understanding of the embodiments described herein, a number of terms are defined below. The terms defined herein have meanings as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the areas relevant to the present invention. Terms such as “a,” “an,” and “the” are not intended to refer to only a singular entity, but rather include the general class of which a specific example may be used for illustration. The terminology herein is used to describe specific embodiments of the invention, but their usage does not delimit the invention, except as set forth in the claims.

As described herein, an upright position is considered to be the position of apparatus components while in proper operation or in a natural resting position as described herein. Vertical, horizontal, above, below, side, top, bottom and other orientation terms are described with respect to this upright position during operation unless otherwise specified. As used herein, the upright position is an air rifle assembled and ready to fire a projectile (e.g., a pellet). The term “when” is used to specify orientation for relative positions of components, not as a temporal limitation of the claims or apparatus described and claimed herein unless otherwise specified. The terms “above”, “below”, “over”, and “under” mean “having an elevation or vertical height greater or lesser than” and are not intended to imply that one object or component is directly over or under another object or component.

The phrase “in one embodiment,” as used herein does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although it may. Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without operator input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or states are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

The current improvement utilizes a novel construction to enable inline feeding and firing of a pellet from a rotary magazine to the barrel of a rifle. Referring to the drawings it may be seen that the rifle uses an under barrel cocking lever to charge an internal cylinder with the air needed to expel a pellet through the barrel.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 3 and 22 the air rifle 10 has the traditional components of a stock 11, barrel 12, and trigger assembly 13. In many regards, the trigger assembly works the same as a traditional trigger assembly. FIG. 2 illustrates the metal barrel 14 surrounded by the sheathed over-molding 16, although the barrel 14 may also be shrouded, and also shows the depending detent flange 17.

Referring to FIG. 3, note that the underlever cocking lever 18 is hingedly connected to a cylinder housing 20 within the stock 11 and carries a press fit ball plunger that mates with detent flange 17 to hold the cocking lever in place when not in use to cock the air rifle. A linkage bar 19 connects to the under rifle lever cocking lever 18 to a deep drawn steel cylinder 21 slidably mounted within cylinder housing 20. A downwardly opening slot in stock 11 allows the linkage bar 19 to connect to cylinder 21 for movement of the cylinder. Barrel assembly 12 is threaded or bonded to the cylinder housing.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 5, note that a magazine adapter 22 is positioned adjacent the barrel within the cylinder housing 20. The adapter is designed to receive a spring loaded rotary magazine 23 shown in FIG. 13, that will rotate each of a plurality of magazine chambers into alignment with the barrel 12. More specifically, the adapter 22 includes a forward tube 24 aligned with barrel 12 and a rear tube 25 extending along the same axis as forward tube 24. Intermediate the forward and rear tubes adapter 22 includes a body into which the rotary magazine 23 is received. Forward tube 24 forms a part of and is welded the portion of the cylinder housing 20 to which cocking lever 18 is hingedly attached. Rear tube 25 and the body are welded the rear portion of the cylinder housing 20 within which the remainder of the cocking mechanism is retained.

As seen in FIG. 5, a rearwardly biased pellet feed tube 26 and carrier 27 with an attached VDT (Trimethylsiloxy terminated vinylmethylsiloxane-dimethylsiloxane copolymer) gasket 27a is positioned such that an associated spring urges the feed tube 26 and an integral magazine locking pin 28 to a retracted position which allows for insertion, removal or rotation of the rotary magazine 23. Referring particularly to FIGS. 5 to 11, note that movable cylinder 21, formed of a composite, drawn steel, or other suitable material, is linked to cocking lever 18 such that movement of the cocking lever until an audible click is heard, moves the cylinder 21 rearwardly allowing the spring loaded pellet feed tube 26 and magazine locking pin 28 to move to the retracted position, which also allows the magazine 23 to advance by virtue of its internal spring and align a pellet with the barrel 12. The details of magazine 23 are discussed with reference to FIG. 13. Further movement of the cocking lever 18 moves the cylinder 21 and piston 29 to a full retracted position at which piston 29 compresses the conventional piston spring which may be a gas spring, metal spring or any other spring mechanism well known in the art, until the piston 29 is conventionally locked to the trigger assembly 13. Returning the cocking lever 18 to its storage position as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 returns the cylinder 21 to its home position abutting the VDT gasket 27a which provides shock absorbing and sealing features, thereby urging the pellet feed tube 26 and magazine locking pin 28 into engagement with the magazine 23, such that a pellet in the magazine chamber aligned with the barrel is urged into a seated position in the barrel 12 by the hollow pellet feed tube 26.

Pulling the trigger mechanism 31 releases the piston 29 which explosively forces the air within the cylinder 21 through the pellet feed tube launching the pellet through the barrel and toward a target. Cycling the cocking lever far enough to release the magazine from the magazine locking arm allows removal of the magazine. If no magazine is being replaced in the assembly, returning the cocking lever to its home position seats the cylinder against the pellet feed tube without compressing the piston spring and arming the rifle so the rifle may be stored without dry firing.

Referring to FIG. 13, it will be seen that rotary magazine 23 is generally tear drop or pear shaped with a larger rounded end 23 a and a smaller projecting end 23 b. Within the larger rounded end is a spring loaded carrousel 23 c with a plurality of pellet chambers 23 d formed in the carrousel. A front and rear panel 23 e and f close the ends of the pellet chambers 23 d except in one position which is aligned with the barrel 12 when the magazine 23 is inserted into the adapter. This position is also aligned with the pellet feed tube 26 which is moved into the chamber at that position forcing the pellet out of the magazine and into the barrel. Pellet feed tube 26 thus seals with the barrel 12 such that activation of the trigger mechanism delivers an expulsive volume of compressed air to the backside of the pellet in the barrel 12 launching the pellet toward the target.

It will be appreciated that magazine carrousel 23c cannot rotate to deliver a new pellet to the barrel as long as Pellet feed tube 26 remains within a chamber 23 d. Further, in the embodiment shown in the preceding figures, magazine locking pin 28 is also engaged through an aperture in the magazine in the lower projecting end 23 b. Thus the magazine spring only advances the carrousel 23 c when the feed tube is withdrawn during the cocking action.

It should be noted that movement of the lever 18 to an intermediate position as shown in FIG. 15 brings the cylinder to a magazine open position such that the feed tube has moved out of engagement with the magazine 23 such that the magazine can be withdrawn from the adapter 22 and fresh magazine inserted. Or the lever can be returned to its stored position with the detent engaged so that the rifle can be stored without a magazine in the adapter. Note that the piston 29 is not moved rearwardly sufficiently to engage the trigger assembly 13, thus there is no need to discharge the stored energy of the spring before storage. It should also be noted that the magazine may take other forms, such as a spring loaded linear magazine.

Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18, in a second embodiment the pellet feed tube 26 is formed directly on the end of cylinder 21 and a sealing and damping VDT gasket 21 a is affixed to the cylinder 21 about the orifice through which the feed tube passes. It will be understood that the magazine 23 is not shown in these drawings for clarity. It should also be noted that barrel 12 is shown in a shrouded configuration meaning that the inner metal barrel 14 has an annular space between it and the outer shroud mold 16a. It should be appreciated that aligning the barrel with the magazine chamber and the pellet feed tube not only provides for direct communication of the compressed air through the system thus improving the efficiency of the air gun, but also provides the opportunity to sheath the barrel in a manner that allows better alignment of the sights on the gun. In this embodiment the operation is somewhat simpler in that the feed tube 26 moves directly with the cylinder 21 and no intermediate carrier or guide is needed. Cocking of the lever 18 moves the cylinder 21 rearwardly and in so doing moves the hammer piston 29 rearwardly to engage the trigger assembly 13. Returning the lever 18 to its stored position returns the cylinder 21 to its forward position urging the pellet feed tube through the aligned chamber in the magazine 23, thereby moving the next pellet into firing position in the barrel. Thus, the operation of the underlever rifle is unchanged. It will be noted that either cylinder configuration can be used with a break barrel cocking mechanism or a pump action cocking mechanism without modification of the interaction between the cylinder and the magazine.

Referring to FIGS. 19 to 22 yet another refinement in the rifle is disclosed. Specifically, it is desirable to limit the losses of the propulsive gas driving the pellet from the gun, therefore, precaution must be made to avoid leakage of the propulsive gas past the end of feed tube 26 rearwardly into the magazine holder. Accordingly, in this embodiment we employ O-rings 31 mounted within an annular recess 32 in the proximal end of metal barrel 14. A keeper 33 may be threadedly engaged about the metal barrel 14 and over lie the O-rings 31.

In one embodiment (see e.g., FIG. 10), the movable compression cylinder 21 includes a cylinder body 101, and the pellet feed tube 26. The cylinder body 101 is configured to be received within the cylinder housing 20 of the air rifle 10 when the air rifle 10 is assembled. In one embodiment, the cylinder body 101 is hollow. In one embodiment, the cylinder body 101 has a forward end 107 that is enclosed except for the pellet feed tube 26 extending therefrom. The cylinder 21 has a rear position (see FIG. 9) and a forward position (see FIG. 16). The cylinder body 101 is configured to move between the forward position within the cylinder housing 20 and the rear position at least partially within the cylinder housing 20 by movement of the cocking mechanism of the air rifle 10 engaged with the cylinder body 101 when the air rifle 10 is assembled. In one embodiment, the cylinder body 101 has a rear end 115 opposite the forward end 107 of the cylinder body 101, and the rear end 115 of the cylinder body 101 is open.

The pellet feed tube 26 extends forward from the cylinder body 101 toward muzzle 103 of the air rifle 10 when the air rifle 10 is assembled. In one embodiment, the pellet feed tube 26 is hollow, and the pellet feed tube 26 is configured to deliver compressed air to the chamber 109 of the air rifle 10 containing projectile 105 when the air rifle 10 is fired. In one embodiment, the pellet feed tubes in fluid communication with an interior of the cylinder body 101 such that compressed air within the cylinder body 101 is transferred from the cylinder body 101 through the pellet feed tube 26 to the chamber of the air rifle 10 when the air rifle 10 is fired. The pellet feed tube 26 is configured to push the projectile 105 from the magazine received in the air rifle 10 into the chamber 109 of the air rifle 10 when the compression cylinder 21 moves from the rear position to the forward position. In one embodiment, the pellet feed tube has a reduced outer diameter at a forward end 112 of the pellet feed tube 26 such that the forward end 112 of the pellet feed tube 26 extends into the projectile 105 to be fired by the air rifle 10 as the pellet feed tube 26 begins releasing compressed air into the chamber 109 of the air rifle 10 when the air rifle 10 is fired. In one embodiment, the pellet feed tube 26 is tapered at the forward end 112 of the pellet feed tube 26. In one embodiment, the pellet feed tube 26 is integrally formed with the cylinder body 101.

In one embodiment, the air rifle 10 further includes the piston 29 which is configured to fit within the cylinder body 101 and extend rearwardly from the rear and 115 of the cylinder body when air rifle 10 is assembled. The piston 29 includes a gasket 130 configured to seal against an inside surface 131 of the cylinder body 101. The piston 29 is generally cylindrical. A rear end 133 of the piston 29 has an opening. In one embodiment, the air rifle 10 further includes a gas spring 150 configured to fit within the piston 29 and extend through the opening in the rear 133 of the piston 29. The gas spring 150 is compressed when the cylinder body when one is moved to the rear position via the cocking mechanism 19 of the air rifle 10, and the gas spring 150 decompress is when the air rifle 10 is fired via the trigger assembly 13 of the air rifle 10.

While in the foregoing specification this invention has been described in relation to certain embodiments thereof, and many details have been put forth for the purpose of illustration, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is susceptible to additional embodiments and that certain of the details described herein can be varied considerably without departing from the basic principles of the invention.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims

It will be understood that the particular embodiments described herein are shown by way of illustration and not as limitations of the invention. The principal features of this invention may be employed in various embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize numerous equivalents to the specific procedures described herein. Such equivalents are considered to be within the scope of this invention and are covered by the claims.

All of the compositions and/or methods disclosed and claimed herein may be made and/or executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the compositions and methods of this invention have been described in terms of the embodiments included herein, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that variations may be applied to the compositions and/or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the method described herein without departing from the concept, spirit, and scope of the invention. All such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope, and concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims

Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of the present invention of a new and useful COCKING AND LOADING APPARATUS FOR REPEATER AIR RIFLE it is not intended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scope of this invention except as set forth in the following claims 

What is claimed is:
 1. A movable compression cylinder for an air rifle, said movable compression cylinder comprising; a cylinder body configured to be received within a cylinder housing of the air rifle when the air rifle is assembled; and a pellet feed tube extending forward from the cylinder body toward a muzzle of the air rifle when the air rifle is assembled.
 2. The movable compression cylinder of claim 1, wherein: the pellet feed tube is hollow; and the pellet feed tube is configured to deliver compressed air to a chamber of the air rifle when the air rifle is fired.
 3. The movable compression cylinder of claim 1, wherein: the cylinder body is hollow; the pellet feed tube is hollow; the cylinder body has a forward end that is enclosed except for the pellet feed tube extending therefrom; and the pellet feed tube is in fluid communication with the cylinder body such that compressed air within the cylinder body is transferred from the cylinder body through the pellet feed tube to a chamber of the air rifle when the air rifle is fired.
 4. The movable compression cylinder of claim 1, wherein the cylinder body is configured to be moved between a forward position within the cylinder housing and a rear position at least partially within the cylinder housing by movement of a cocking mechanism of the air rifle engaged with the cylinder body when the air rifle is assembled.
 5. The movable compression cylinder of claim 1, wherein: the cylinder body is configured to be moved between a forward position within the cylinder housing and a rear position at least partially within the cylinder housing by movement of a cocking mechanism of the air rifle engaged with the cylinder body when the air rifle is assembled; and the pellet feed tube is configured to push a projectile from a magazine received in the air rifle into a chamber of the air rifle when the compression cylinder moves from the rear position to the forward position.
 6. The movable compression cylinder of claim 1, wherein the pellet feed tube has a reduced outer diameter at a forward end of the pellet feed tube such that the pellet feed.
 7. The movable compression cylinder of claim 1, wherein the pellet feed tube has a reduced outer diameter at a forward end of the pellet feed tube such that the forward end of the pellet feed tube extends into a projectile to be fired by the air rifle as the pellet feed tube begins releasing compressed air into a chamber of the air rifle when the air rifle is fired.
 8. The movable compression cylinder of claim 1, wherein a rear end of the cylinder body opposite the forward end of the cylinder body is open.
 9. The movable compression cylinder of claim 1, wherein the pellet feed tube is tapered at a forward end of the pellet feed tube.
 10. The movable compression cylinder of claim 1, wherein the pellet feed tube is integrally formed with the cylinder body.
 11. An air rifle comprising: a movable compression cylinder comprising; a cylinder body configured to be received within a cylinder housing of the air rifle when the air rifle is assembled; and a pellet feed tube extending forward from the cylinder body toward a muzzle of the air rifle when the air rifle is assembled.
 12. The air rifle of claim 11, wherein: the pellet feed tube is hollow; and the pellet feed tube is configured to deliver compressed air to a chamber of the air rifle when the air rifle is fired.
 13. The air rifle of claim 11, wherein: the cylinder body is hollow; the pellet feed tube is hollow; the cylinder body has a forward end that is enclosed except for the pellet feed tube extending therefrom; and the pellet feed tube is in fluid communication with the cylinder body such that compressed air within the cylinder body is transferred from the cylinder body through the pellet feed tube to a chamber of the air rifle when the air rifle is fired.
 14. The air rifle of claim 11, wherein: the cylinder body is configured to be moved between a forward position within the cylinder housing and a rear position at least partially within the cylinder housing by movement of a cocking mechanism of the air rifle engaged with the cylinder body when the air rifle is assembled.
 15. The air rifle of claim 11, wherein: the cylinder body is configured to be moved between a forward position within the cylinder housing and a rear position at least partially within the cylinder housing by movement of a cocking mechanism of the air rifle engaged with the cylinder body when the air rifle is assembled; and the pellet feed tube is configured to push a projectile from a magazine received in the air rifle into a chamber of the air rifle when the compression cylinder moves from the rear position to the forward position.
 16. The air rifle of claim 11, wherein: the pellet feed tube has a reduced outer diameter at a forward end of the pellet feed tube such that the forward end of the pellet feed tube extends into a projectile to be fired by the air rifle as the pellet feed tube begins releasing compressed air into a chamber of the air rifle when the air rifle is fired.
 17. The air rifle of claim 11, wherein: a rear end of the cylinder body opposite the forward end of the cylinder body is open; the pellet feed tube is integrally formed with the cylinder body; and the pellet feed tube is tapered at a forward end of the pellet feed tube.
 18. The air rifle of claim 11, further comprising: a piston configured to fit within the cylinder body and extend rearwardly from a rear end of the cylinder body.
 19. The air rifle of claim 11, further comprising: a piston configured to fit within the cylinder body and extend rearwardly from a rear end of the cylinder body when the air rifle is assembled, wherein the piston comprises a gasket configured to seal against an inside surface of the cylinder body.
 20. The air rifle of claim 11, further comprising: a piston configured to fit partially within the cylinder body and extend rearwardly from a rear end of the cylinder body when the air rifle is assembled, wherein: the piston is configured to seal against an inside surface of the cylinder body at a front end of the piston; the piston is generally cylindrical; and a rear end of the piston has an opening; and a gas spring configured to fit within the piston and extend through the opening in the rear end of the piston, wherein: the gas spring is compressed when the cylinder body is moved to the rear position via a cocking mechanism of the air rifle; and the gas spring decompresses when the air rifle is fired via a trigger assembly of the air rifle. 